Donovan, Hejduk highlight World Cup call-ups

It's not the first time Dane Richards received the call. But it's the first time he's been healthy enough to answer it.

The second-year New York Red Bulls midfielder has been called up by Jamaica and could earn his first World Cup qualifying cap Saturday when the Reggae Boyz face Mexico at "The Office" in Kingston.

Richards was in Rene Simoes' plans earlier this year, but the right-sided midfielder was sidelined with one of a variety of injuries this year and was unable to play. Simoes is gone, having been sacked after a 2-0 loss to Honduras in San Pedro Sula, but Richards is anxious to make his competitive debut for Jamaica after playing in friendlies against Guatemala and Honduras.

"The coach called me and said just get some games in after my injury is over and he would call me back," said Richards, who is tied with Jorge Rojas on the Red Bulls with five assists. "He did and I'm very happy to go back and play for them. I'm very excited, first time playing in a World Cup qualifier."

Joining Richards is Colorado Rapids forward Omar Cummings and defenders Tyrone Marshall (Toronto FC) and Shavar Thomas (Chivas USA), named to interim coach Theodore Whitmore's side that will face a Mexican team poised to clinch a berth in the final hexagonal phase of CONCACAF qualification.

The Reggae Boyz, meanwhile, are tied with Canada for third after securing just one point in three road matches.

Canada needs a result in San Pedro Sula Saturday night to keep its slim hopes of advancing alive. Winless in three Group 2 matches, Canada will call on South African-born Kevin Harmse from Toronto FC as its lone Major League Soccer player for the match at Honduras, while Dallas defender Adrian Serioux and Houston midfielder Dwayne De Rosario (both suspended) will join the team after the weekend for its match against Mexico in Edmonton next Wednesday.

On the other side of the field from Harmse on Saturday will be TFC teammate Amado Guevara, who will hope to further cement Honduras' chances of advancing to next year's final round. Honduras has six points from three matches and is five points clear of both Jamaica and Canada in Group 2.

Like archrival Mexico, the United States can book its ticket into the final round of qualification with a victory against Cuba at RFK Stadium Saturday night. While Bob Bradley has selected a relatively young team to face the Cubans, Major League Soccer veterans Frankie Hejduk (Columbus) and Landon Donovan (Los Angeles) while join Brian Ching (Houston) and Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA) on a U.S. team that has secured a maximum nine points from three Group 1 matches.

Guatemala and Trinidad & Tobago are level on points through three games and meet in Guatemala City in a critical Group 2 match Saturday night. Hoping to help Guatemala secure three points at home is Toronto FC forward Carlos Ruiz and Chicago Fire midfielder Marco Pappa, who has been limited because of a knee injury lately. Toronto FC defender Julius James, slowed by a knee injury, is on standby for Trinidad, which played Guatemala to a 1-1 draw on Sept. 6 in Port of Spain.

Featuring Chicago's Gonzalo Segares, Costa Rica has flexed its muscles, scoring 11 goals, while conceding just one in three comprehensive Group 3 victories and can book its ticket with a victory in Paramaribo against a Suriname squad that has conceded 11 goals in three matches.

Haiti is looking for its first victory of the group stage and has again called Columbus Crew rookie Ricardo Pierre-Louis to its team for qualifier Saturday against El Salvador in Port-au-Prince. The hosts will be looking to avenge the 5-0 loss in San Salvador a month ago.

Venezuela's hopes of advancing to its first World Cup finals have taken a hit after back-to-back road losses against Peru and Paraguay last month. Tied for eighth with Peru, Venezuela hosts its next two matches. That's the good news. The bad news is that world powerhouse Brazil is next up on Sunday in San Cristobal.

Venezuela, which has called up Red Bulls teammates Jorge Rojas and Gabriel Cichero as well as Columbus forward Alejandro Moreno, will host Ecuador in Puerto La Cruz three days later.

Featuring Toronto FC midfielder Carl Robinson, Wales is tied with Russia for second in Group 4 in European qualification, one point behind Germany. Wales will host tiny and winless Liechtenstein at Millennium Stadium in Cardiff Saturday before heading to Moenchengladbach to meet the mighty Germans next Wednesday.

England sits atop Group 6, tied with Ukraine with maximum points out of two matches. Featuring Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder David Beckham, the Three Lions will host Kazakhstan at Wembley Stadium Saturday before heading to Minsk Wednesday to take on Belarus, which is in a three-way tie for third with Croatia and Kazakhstan.

The New England Revolution duo of Kenny Mansally and Sainey Nyassi will join The Gambia for a critical World Cup qualifier against Senegal, which has called up Colorado Rapids goalkeeper Bouna Coundoul.

The Gambia and Senegal are currently tied for second in Africa's Group 6, one point behind Algeria. The two teams played to a scoreless draw in Bilda on Sept. 6.

High stakes accompany Rio Tinto debut

SANDY, Utah -- There's no way the stakes could be higher for Real Salt Lake in its Rio Tinto Stadium debut.

Opening a brand-new stadium against the New York Red Bulls in front of a national television audience creates enough pressure by itself. Needing three points to make sure a first-ever playoff bid stays within reach pours it on in headache-inducing quantities.

"There's a lot at stake in this game and we know that," RSL goalkeeper Nick Rimando said. "But we're coming out to get three points and not looking ahead of that."

Still, the RSL side feels good about where it is at heading into its match against the Red Bulls. Real wanted nothing more than to actually play for something other than pride come October.

That wish has come true.

"We're exactly where we set out to be at the beginning of the year," RSL coach Jason Kreis said. "We envisioned opening our stadium at the end of the year and we envisioned these being extremely meaningful games."

RSL's players got a small taste of what's to come with their primetime match when they practiced under the lights on Monday evening. Already Rio Tinto Stadium feels like a second home to them, rather than just the site of their home games.

The move from an artificial surface to grass is already drawing rave reviews after just a handful of practices. Midfielder Kyle Beckerman said it's perfect for establishing a short-passing game and it will help eliminate some of the past injury problems for RSL.

Defender Nat Borchers thinks it will be easier to judge the bounce and direction of a ball better on grass than on turf -- making it a simpler task to control possession much more effectively.

Add in the proximity of the fans to the field and a backdrop of the picturesque Wasatch Mountains and you have just the right ingredients to cook up a home field advantage rivaled by few clubs.

"It's perfect for an American stadium," Borchers said.

Things seem to be coming together just at the right time for RSL to make Rio Tinto Stadium the kind of fortress Rice-Eccles Stadium used to be.

Real went unbeaten during their most recent two-game road swing. RSL claimed a victory at San Jose and salvaged a draw at New England. Picking up four points through that stretch provides ample evidence to the team that it has made progress in recent weeks.

Earlier in the season a game like the one against the Revs would likely ended as a come-from-ahead loss.

"We feel like we've been knocking on that door all year -- especially in our last bunch of away games," Beckerman said. "We've been playing really good. We've been in the lead most of these games and we haven't been able to finish it out."

One challenge ahead of RSL with their new grass field is that it is just the sort of bigger field the club has traditionally struggled with. In the past, RSL has struggled on wider fields -- like the one at The Home Depot Center, for example -- because it spreads things out more and favors a team with quicker players on the wing.

Since the addition of such flank players as Robbie Russell and Will Johnson, however, wider grass fields have become less of an issue. They mix speed with solid technical play, something that has elevated the play of RSL as a whole on wide fields.

On the injury front, defender Tony Beltran is closer to returning to action since undergoing sports hernia surgery last month. Progress for Dema Kovalenko and Fabian Espindola is much slower going. Both saw limited practice time on Monday, but neither player is expected to be available for the 18-man roster on Thursday.

Also sidelined is Andy Williams. The veteran midfielder will sit out for a game after being given a red card for shoving Jay Heaps in the match with New England last weekend.

Reserves lead Quakes past CD FAS

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- On a night when the San Jose Earthquakes were intent on using their depth, their reserves delivered, defeating Club Deportivo FAS of El Salvador 2-1 Tuesday at Buck Shaw Stadium, Mikel Arce and Jovan Kirovski scored in the first half, while Alejandro de la Cruz countered in the second half for the visitors.

With a mammoth game against Chivas USA on tap for this Saturday, San Jose manager Frank Yallop opted to rest all of his starters. FAS were by no means at full strength either. The visitors were missing no fewer than five players due to Salvadoran national team duty, including captain Alfredo Pacheco, while three other players were left at home due to injury.

Both sides displayed some decent approach work early on, but precision in the final third was lacking. FAS midfielder Josue Flores won a free kick 30 yards from goal in the fifth minute, but his subsequent attempt at goal was easily scooped up by San Jose goalkeeper Mike Graczyk.

FAS began to assume greater control, and nearly went on top in the 19th minute. A cross from the left wing by de la Cruz was deflected by Graczyk in the box, but Quakes defender Jamil Roberts, with some help from Ryan Cochrane, cleared the danger.

Amid some confusion, the Quakes went ahead against the run of play in the 25th minute. Davide Somma picked out Arce in the box, who backheeled the ball past FAS 'keeper Jose Gonzalez. The play was initially judged to have been offside, but after consulting with his assistant, referee Edvin Jurisevic allowed the goal, and San Jose was ahead 1-0.

FAS tried to up the tempo, and the visitors appealed for a penalty in the 33rd minute when de la Cruz went down in the box, but Jurisevic was having none of it and waved play on.

San Jose responded five minutes later with Somma springing Arce on a clear breakaway, but the Spaniard could only hit a tame shot that was saved by Gonzalez.

The home side didn't have to wait much longer to add to their tally. Shea Salinas broke free down the right wing in the 42nd minute, and his inch-perfect cross was nodded home by Kirovski to make the score 2-0.

Yallop brought on Michael Ghebru in place of Matt Hatzke to start the second half, and the German made his presence felt in the 49th minute, winning a penalty after a mistimed challenge from a FAS defender. Ghebru spurned the resulting spot kick however, smashing his attempt off the crossbar.

Emotions boiled over shortly thereafter when de la Cruz was laid low by a late challenge from Kirovski. A scuffle involving most of the players from both teams broke out, but order was soon restored with Kirovski earning a yellow card.

The incident served to crank the intensity up a notch, and FAS nearly pulled a goal back in the 55th minute, but Graczyk was on hand to deny Oswaldo Mendoza from point-blank range.

The hour mark saw a flurry of substitutions with Michael Gustavson replacing Graczyk in the San Jose goal, while FAS brought on Hector Avalos, Carlos Aparicio and Jose Solis. The fresh legs saw FAS control possession, with most of the play going through the feisty de la Cruz, while San Jose were looking dangerous on the break.

Yet it was the visitors who finally made a breakthrough in the 77th minute. Aparicio's free kick from the left wing found de la Cruz wide open in the box, and his glancing header left Gustavson with no chance.

Somma nearly made the game safe for the home side in the 83rd minute, but his blast from 14 yards hit the base of the post. Ghebru corralled the rebound, but was unable to get a shot off and the danger was averted.

The same fate befell Somma just four minutes later. Arce slotted home the rebound, but this time, the assistant referee's offside call stood, keeping the score 2-1.

de la Cruz had one final chance in the 88th minute, skipping up the endline on the left wing, but his centering feed was cleared by Roberts.

Real Salt Lake open stadium with draw

SANDY, Utah -- Amid dreams of opening its new stadium in grand fashion, Real Salt Lake came away with a result that felt less than satisfying -- especially for a team trying to reach the playoffs for the first time.

For the second week in a row, RSL earned one point instead of three, battling to a 1-1 draw with the New York Red Bulls at Rio Tinto Stadium on MLS Primetime Thursday.

The honor of scoring the first goal in the latest soccer-specific stadium fell to New York's Dave van den Bergh, who put the Red Bulls ahead in the 31st minute. But Jamison Olave knocked home a corner kick late in the first half for the equalizer. The Red Bulls were forced to play the final seven minutes a man down after Juan Pietravallo was sent off.

The tie left both teams with 36 points, and each sitting in fourth place in their respective conferences -- but with the rest of the league still to play over the weekend.

RSL had its first good scoring opportunity in the seventh minute on a free kick by Javier Morales. The kick was set up when Seth Stammler was shown a yellow card for tugging on the back of the shirt of Yura Movsisyan as he threatened to break away. Morales had a clean look at the net and had enough power behind his shot, but the ball rocketed just to the right of the far post.

Morales tried to get something going off a free kick again in the 17th minute. This time his shot was perfectly on frame, but Red Bulls 'keeper Jon Conway wrapped up the ball anyway.

New York didn't enjoy much early success in their offensive third either.

Mike Magee drilled a shot with his right foot off a throw-in by Kevin Goldthwaite. RSL 'keeper Nick Rimando came up with a nice catch to keep it from turning into anything important.

Magee then came up with a nice header after setting things in motion with a corner kick during the 23rd minute, but Rimando was in perfect position to a fantastic sprawling save and tip the ball wide of the post.

The Red Bulls finally took the lead in the 31st minute when van den Bergh capitalized on a corner kick. The ball was sent into the box and Stammler put his header right on target, beating Rimando's dive. Kyle Beckerman was perfectly placed to head it off the line -- but sent it right to van den Bergh, who rocketed a full-blooded drive on the rebound into the back of the net.

Movsisyan tried to answer on the other end. Beating the high Red Bulls defensive line, he raced in alone on goal, drawing out Conway while he dribbled around in the area. He rounded the goalkeeper and sent his shot toward goal, but it bounced off the shin of New York defender Jeff Parke who had slipped in behind the Red Bulls 'keeper.

With the sellout crowd at Rio Tinto Stadium desperately waiting for a reason to explode, the moment finally came in the 41st minute. Morales swung a corner kick toward the center of the area. The ball took a bounce and Olave put a foot onto it and looped it over Conway into the back of the net.

It marked the 15th career assist for Morales in an RSL uniform, which helped him surpass teammate Andy Williams as the club's all-time assists leader.

RSL's first solid chance at taking a second-half lead came in the 54th minute when Morales found Will Johnson on the run. Morales laid it down to Johnson just as he penetrated into the far side of the area. Johnson uncorked a strong right-footed shot, but Conway knelt down to make the save.

Morales then had back-to-back corner kicks in the 56th minute. Both times, the ball bounced back his way instead of traveling to the intended teammate in front of the six-yard box.

Several shots for RSL as the second half moved on increasingly were off frame. Movsisyan, Johnson and Clint Mathis each took a turn going either wide left or wide right for Real.

The most stinging of these off-frame misses had to be Beckerman's would-be dagger in the 71st minute. After Morales and Movsisyan had difficulty creating a shot in the penalty area, the ball was cleared back out to Beckerman. He launched a line-drive rocket from 25 yards out, but the ball sailed just inches over the crossbar.

While RSL struggled to finish, the Red Bulls struggled to even create shots. Real held New York in check throughout the second half. They gave up no shots on goal after allowing five during the initial 45 minutes.

The task became even tougher in the 83rd minute when Pietravallo was sent off by referee Terry Vaughn after his high kick in midfield caught the top of Clint Mathis's head and left him bloodied and in need of medical attention on the touchline. But RSL were not able to break through.

RSL will play their second game in their new home next Saturday, when they play host to FC Dallas. The Red Bulls return home where they will take on the Columbus Crew.

Dynamo help hurricane relief efforts

Having grown up in the Houston area, Stuart Holden is used to the hurricane warnings. It's an annual part of life for those who live near the Gulf of Mexico. The Houston Dynamo midfielder would watch the coverage on television and be thankful that his friends and family were spared.

It was a different feeling altogether for Holden when he and teammate Brian Ching were watching the devastation Hurricane Ike wreaked in Galveston and Houston as they were in a hotel in San Jose preparing to take on the Earthquakes in an Major League Soccer game last month.

"When it's your hometown and it could be affecting people, you know, you obviously pay more attention to it," Holden said.

Holden, Ching and the rest of the Dynamo players were lucky. While they lived without power for up to two weeks, the players and staff were relatively unscathed considering the wide-ranging destruction in the Houston area. Some of Holden's family members sustained flooding damage and a family friend had his home split in half by a falling tree.

"They've had to change their plans for a while," Holden said. "There's lot of cases like that around where I grew up about 20 miles from where I live now."

Immediately after the storm passed, Dynamo staff met to discuss how the club can help out, especially the members of the large soccer community in the Houston area.

"Kids playing soccer is a fiber of life and community and that's been taken away from them and if we can help restore that and get that piece back together it brings a bit of normalcy back to people's lives," Dynamo chief operating officer Chris Canetti said. "That alone will help, maybe moreso than a big check or something along those lines."

Through Dynamo Charities and in conjunction with the South Texas Youth Soccer Association (STYSA) and MLS W.O.R.K.S, the charitable arm of Major League Soccer, the club soon designated October as Hurricane Relief Month with activities planned for each of Dynamo's three MLS home games at Robertson Stadium, beginning with the match against D.C. United on Sunday.

The Dynamo will wear white jerseys for the game against United -- just the second time they've worn white at home -- and the jerseys will be autographed and auctioned off after the game. All Dynamo proceeds from the auction and from on-site parking will benefit youth soccer teams.

On Wednesday, Oct. 15, when the Dynamo take on the San Jose Earthquakes -- a game postponed from Sept. 20, the weekend after the hurricane hit -- children 14 and under have been offered free tickets and a portion of the ticket proceeds will go toward helping local soccer clubs affected by the hurricane.

"We thought this was a good opportunity to do two things -- to raise awareness that one of our games had been postponed," Dynamo president and general manager Oliver Luck said. "But more importantly we think it's the right thing to do in terms of helping some folks, particularly some of the soccer communities that have been affected, get back on their feet."

The club will be accepting monetary donations as well as donations of soccer equipment at each game, concluding with the Oct. 18 game against the LA Galaxy, with players' wives collecting donations on Sunday. Through the Passback program, the U.S. Soccer Foundation will assist in the collection of soccer equipment and World Soccer Daily has donated 200 jerseys. Fans unable to attend the match can still donate through the Dynamo website.

"Sports is an important part of life for these kids," Luck said. "We wanted to make sure we did what we could do to at least bring that sports piece (of their lives) back to a level of normalcy in terms of the kids being able to go out and train and compete and do the things they really like doing. That's the genesis of the idea of trying to do what we can to help."

Sunday's game against United has also been designated as the "Championship Salute to the Championship Efforts of First Responders," and Houston police officers, firefighters and EMS workers and their families will be honored on the field before the game.

"They're putting their lives on the line during the crisis when people were supposed to evacuate, they're there for the people in distress," Holden said. "You don't really realize the responsibility they have to help out and that they're putting their lives at stake to help these people. It will be nice to get all those people out to our game on Sunday so they can be recognized by our fans and by our team and anyone affiliated by our organization."

The club is also recognizing the work that hospital volunteers, some of whom worked 48-hour shifts during the storm. They will also join the first responders on the field before the game.

"We said let's do something nice for them, give them and their families tickets for the game, let them come out and be honored at this match," Canetti said.

The rebuilding in the Houston area will take months and perhaps years, but the Dynamo are hoping they can help immediately in the healing process.

"Whatever way we can help out we want to do that," Holden said. "If it's just going out and signing autographs or hanging out and relating to people and letting them know that we're feeling their pain, we'll all do whatever we can to help out."

For online donations to the Dynamo's hurricane relief fund, please click here.

To donate via check or money order, please direct your payment, payable to Dynamo Charities, Hurricane Relief, to:
Dynamo Charities
Houston Dynamo
1415 Louisiana St., Suite 3400
Houston, TX 77002

Revs seek early goal boost at K.C.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- New England Revolution head coach Steve Nicol wants a few things from Saturday night's game in Kansas City.

But perhaps his first priority is finding a way for his team to get the first goal.

In the Revolution's last three games, the team has scored the first goal zero times. Not coincidentally, the Revs have mustered only two points from those three games.

For a team that hasn't played as well as it would like for quite some time now, getting an early goal would provide a boost, Nicol thinks.

"Getting the first goal is huge," Nicol said. "It settles everybody down. It makes the other team gamble more than they normally would. They both go hand in hand. We want to defend well. If teams are coming at us, we want to be able to stop them."

Times have been tough recently as the Revs have struggled for form since their SuperLiga triumph on Aug. 5. Player injuries, fatigue and mental strain have hindered performances.

"For us, it's definitely been a new challenge with all of the games we've played in the summer," Revolution goalkeeper Matt Reis said. "We have finally gotten over the physical aspect of it, but there's definitely the mental aspect of it. Everybody getting back and getting on the same page has been difficult for us."

In order to fulfill Nicol's wishes, the team will have to improve its play through midfield. A team that prides itself on quick passing and wide play has struggled to establish possession in recent games.

"The passing contributes to losing the goals as well," Nicol said.

Reis thinks the team needs to step things up as the regular season winds to a close with Chicago only one point behind in the race for second place.

"In these last three games, we need to give an overall 90-minute performance and keep going," Reis said. "It's good to get one, but it's also good to get two, three and four too."

While a good performance would be nice, the object remains to get points from a city that has yielded seven of them (2-0-1) in the Revs' past three trips.

"We want to go out there and get points," Nicol said. "We want to put a good performance in as much as anything."

Gambian duo Kenny Mansally and Sainey Nyassi will miss the match. The pair will be in Senegal on World Cup qualifying duty. Both players are expected to return in time for Thursday's game against D.C. United. Mauricio Castro is expected to slot into Nyassi's role on the right wing.

The Wizards present a different and difficult challenge as Curt Onalfo's team struggles to score goals (27 goals in 30 games) yet manages to keep touch in the playoff race.

"It's important for us to get into Kansas City and play solidly," Reis said. "They are playing for their season and playing on that small field will be tough."

Much of the emphasis will come from negating set-piece opportunities. Jimmy Conrad is tied for the team lead in goals with five. Conrad's goal haul is a sign that K.C. wants to use one of the smaller surfaces in the league to pump as many balls into the box as possible when given the opportunity.

"If you're giving away corner kicks and wide free kicks, they are going to be put right on top of you," Reis said. "They have a lot of big guys and a lot of guys that attack the ball well."

Crew maintain form, shut out Galaxy

COLUMBUS -- The matchup of the Columbus Crew and Los Angeles Galaxy didn't produce goals galore like the 3-3 tie in Carson, Calif. in June, but this time for the home side, one was enough.

Forward Alejandro Moreno scored just before halftime against his former team and Will Hesmer recorded his second consecutive shutout as the Crew continued their march to the Supporters' Shield with a 1-0 victory before a black-clad mass in the first sellout of the season at Crew Stadium.

The Crew are 7-0-1 in their past eight games and now sit 10 points ahead of the New England Conference atop the Eastern Conference. The Galaxy were desperate for a win after falling to the bottom of the Western Conference with a 1-8-6 record over their past 15 games, and now face an seriously uphill climb if they are to avoid missing out on the playoffs for a third year running.

Los Angeles allows more than two goals per game for one of the poorest defensive performance in the history of the league but made the Crew earn their score.

Columbus took the lead in the 43rd minute on the career-best ninth goal from Moreno but the euphoria was nearly cut short less than two minutes later when Landon Donovan streaked into the left side of the penalty area. He was hounded by defender Chad Marshall toward the end line and Hesmer came out to challenge but Donovan deftly slid the ball through the goal area and barely missed putting it into the right netting.

Moreno scored eight times for San Jose in 2005 but surpassed that total after heading a service off the right flank by defender Danny O'Rourke after he got position on defender Chris Klein at the far post.

A possible battle between MVP candidates Donovan of Los Angeles and the Crew's Guillermo Barros Schelotto became a reality when Schelotto made a surprise appearance in the starting lineup.

He had missed the previous three matches with a strained hamstring and was expected to come off the bench last night. He played 61 minutes. Schelotto has a league-high 18 assists to go along with six goals. Donovan leads MLS with 19 goals and nine assists.

Schelotto replaced Pat Noonan, who was instrumental in helping Columbus to two wins and a tie in his absence. The other change for Columbus was necessitated by the red card suspension of U.S. defender Frankie Hejduk. O'Rourke moved from center back to the right side and rookie Andy Iro took his spot alongside Marshall.

The Galaxy had a major revision to its first XI as well when goalkeeper Josh Saunders made his MLS debut as Josh Wicks was sent to the bench after making four starts for the injured Steve Cronin. Saunders has been on the roster of the Galaxy and San Jose Earthquakes several times since 2003 without an appearance and spent this season with Miami FC of the United Soccer Leagues First Division, where he led the league with 13 shutouts.

Schelotto nearly had a storybook return when given his first free kick in the eighth minute. The ball was placed to the right, 19 yards off goal. His low strike was deflected into the air by Donovan to Saunders.

In the 17th minute Schelotto was in position for another restart from almost the same spot but this time defender Gino Padula sent a line drive toward the back post but midfielder Eddie Gaven could not get on the end of it and the ball went past out of bounds.

The Galaxy showed its offensive prowess, too, when former Crew forward Edson Buddle broke free and forced goalkeeper William Hesmer to his knees to make a save in the 32nd minute.

Beckham, making his first Columbus appearance, will miss the next match because of yellow card accumulation after a cross-body tackle of midfielder Robbie Rogers in the 32nd minute.

Rogers was a target several times and also drew a yellow card on Peter Vagenas three minutes earlier for a reckless tackle. Crew midfielder Brian Carroll was booked in the ninth minute for a hard foul on midfielder Eddie Lewis and Galaxy reserve forward Bryan Jordan was carded after taking down Moreno in the 83rd.

Crew coach Sigi Schmid, a possible coach of the year selection for guiding the team to its first playoff berth since 2004, watched the match from a suite after receiving a red card near the end of last week's match at New England. Assistant Robert Warzycha took over.

Late penalty kick hurts Earthquakes

FRISCO, Texas -- For more than 30 minutes, the San Jose Earthquakes looked poised to leave Pizza Hut Park with a win against FC Dallas. But a late penalty kick converted by Kenny Cooper canceled out Ryan Johnson's 58th-minute goal and left the teams with a 1-1 draw on MLS Primetime Thursday.

The penalty was awarded after FC Dallas rookie midfielder Eric Avila sent a cross in from the right flank. His ball struck San Jose defender Francisco Lima in the midsection and then looked to carom off his arm. Referee Abbey Okulaja took notice and quickly awarded the penalty kick, which Cooper stepped up and converted in the 89th minute.

However, that wasn't the only controversial call. In the 71st minute, FCD center back Duilio Davino was caught flat-footed as a ball was chipped over his head. San Jose's Scott Sealy appeared to be heading clean through on goal, but Davino threw his arms above his head and knocked down the ball just outside the area. Much to San Jose's consternation, Okulaja gave Davino only a yellow card.

"In general, I think we did a good job of possessing, counterattacking and created some great chances," San Jose head coach Frank Yallop said. "But the handball when Scott is going to go in, (he will) probably get a shot off or maybe score. That makes it 2-0 and it doesn't get the right call. It hurt tonight."

Johnson, who had put the Earthquakes with his fifth goal of the season mere seconds after coming on as a substitute, felt the penalty kick call was a tight decision.

"It was close," he said. "I give the referee a little bit of credit with it being close. I'm going to say it was 100 percent here or 100 percent there. It was a difficult call to make at the 87th minute. Yeah it's the home team that you're reffing but you should be neutral. A call at that time should be 100 percent. If he wasn't 100 percent on that, he shouldn't have called it. That's just the way it is. Hopefully this doesn't determine our season and hopefully, we can bounce back and use this as a little bit of fuel. Hopefully we can use this."

The San Jose midfielder said his goal was probably the quickest he had ever scored, just after coming on for Ronnie O'Brien. Jason Hernandez sent a long ball that Scott Sealy tried to flick and missed, putting Davino out of position as the ball skipped past.

"When Jay (Hernandez) got his foot to it, it was a solid ball," Johnson said. "So, the ball got split between the two defenders, I knew I had a chance. I saw the guys didn't anticipate it too well. They didn't think I was going to run onto it. It was just anticipation in my part and me taking my one opportunity and putting it away.

"It was probably on my first touch too," he continued. "It was probably a little bit of luck but if I get a chance, I always try to put it away. I know that in a game, you only get one chance, maybe two and if you don't put them away, it could be a different result. We could have lost today."

Signed just before the start of the season, Johnson spent much of the early part of the season as a striker, though midfield is his preferred position.

"Ryan's done a terrific job for us this year, whether it's starting a game or coming off the bench," Yallop said. "One of the roles he's been asked to do is he always uses his back. He's a big strong kid and he loves to play. He wants to get on the field and play. He's like a caged animal really. He's ready to go every time I put him on and it showed tonight. It was a great finish to come off the bench with his first touch. I was pretty happy with his performance."

Despite only leaving Frisco with one point, Yallop still saw plenty of positives in his side's performance.

"I thought we possessed the ball well," he said. "In the first half, I didn't quite feel the urgency was there. We were fighting for our lives but I didn't get that feeling and I told them. We can talk about tactics and all the stuff we're going to talk about, but if you don't apply yourself, you're not going to win the match. I thought they did well in the second half."

The single point still leaves San Jose at least four points out of the last playoff spot with four games to play, though all the teams at the top of the conference still have yet to play this weekend. For Johnson, he and his teammates admit that the thought of a tie never entered their minds.

"I thought we could have held onto it once I saw the time going down after the 80th minute," he said. "I thought we would hold on. That's the way it is sometimes. Next time when we do have the lead, we can't think we're going to get the win in the 85th minute. We've got to definitely lock it down in the back and just stay tough."

TFC keep playoff hopes alive with win over NY

E. RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Toronto FC kept its slim playoff hopes alive Saturday night, earning three valuable points with a vital 3-1 road victory against Eastern Conference rival New York Red Bulls at Giants Stadium.

TFC striker Chad Barrett scored on either side of halftime, netting the game-winner in the 65th minute. Substitute Abdus Ibrahim, 17, put the game away when he headed home Johann Smith's cross three minutes before the final whistle. Dane Richards got New York's lone goal in the 49th minute.

The win is essentially worth six points for the visitors, since New York is one of the teams TFC is chasing for a postseason berth. Another is D.C. United, which lost to Chivas USA on Saturday, keeping TFC in the thick of the hunt with three regular season matches remaining.

Given the tilt's importance, both teams came out cautiously during the opening stages.

Neither side managed a shot on goal through the first 20 minutes. Then New York created a pair of quality chances, forcing Toronto 'keeper Greg Sutton into two diving saves. The first was on a close-range shot from Juan Pablo Angel, the second on a Mike Magee volley.

Toronto FC, however, struck first. In the 25th minute, Reds striker Chad Barrett took advantage of Gabriel Cichero's latest blunder, running past the Red Bulls defender and pouncing on his weak, headed pass-back attempt before lofting the ball over the head of 'keeper Jon Conway, who was stranded hopelessly off his line, and into the unattended net. The home team was none too happy about falling behind. In the 34th minute, tempers boiled over and a scrum broke out after Juan Pablo Angel caught former Red Bulls midfielder Amado Guevara in the back of the leg near midfield. When the dust settled, Angel, teammate Jorge Rojas and TFC defender Kevin Harmse had been booked by referee Ramon Hernandez.

New York midfielder Seth Stammler had an opportunity to even the score on the stroke of halftime. But his eight-yard shot off Richards' pass was well saved by Sutton and TFC went to the locker room with a 1-0 lead.

New York pulled level just four minutes after the second half began. Angel headed on Kevin Goldthwaite's throw-in on the left side and Richards cleverly allowed the ball to go over his head and into space so he could run onto it. With TFC's back line retreating, Richards darted into the area and fired a low shot past Sutton to even things up.

Moments later, Richards nearly put his team ahead when he chased down a defense-splitting through-ball, but Sutton saw the danger early and got there first to clear the ball away.

In the 65th minute, Toronto went ahead for good. After successfully defending a New York free kick, Marvell Wynne sprung a lightning-fast, odd-man counter-attack when he picked up a loose ball deep in his own half and raced 60 yards into the Red Bulls box.

With Wynne approaching, Conway had to come out to play the shot. But at the last possible second, Wynne served a perfect square pass across the face of goal for Barrett to steer into the gaping goal from the doorstep.

Toronto FC added an insurance goal in the 86th minute as Ibrahim beat Cichero to a cross by Johann Smith and headed the ball past Conway at the far post. It was the third straight game the Red Bulls have conceded three goals or more.

TFC now has 31 points from 27 games. The Reds' next match is against FC Dallas in Frisco, Texas next Saturday. The Red Bulls remain on 35 points, with their hold on a wild card spot in real doubt. They face a huge game against another team tied with 35 points, Real Salt Lake, next Thursday as the Utah club opens its new stadium.

United edged by Cruz Azul in CONCACAF play

WASHINGTON -- A green-looking D.C. United side valiantly resisted Mexican power Cruz Azul in their CONCACAF Champions League Group A match at RFK Stadium on Wednesday night, but a toothless United attack allowed the visitors to ride a fluky goal from Pablo Zeballos to a 1-0 win.

A first-half sub in place of Marcelo Carrusca, Zeballos found himself in the right place at the right time in the 56th minute when he unwittingly deflected Cesar Villaluz's mishit shot past D.C. goalkeeper Zach Wells, obscuring an underwhelming performance from Cruz Azul and keeping los Cementeros on pace with group rivals CD Marathon and Deportivo Saprissa.

True to expectations, D.C. coach Tom Soehn rested several everyday starters with an eye towards Saturday's league match against Chivas USA, as Fred, Ivan Guerrero, Bryan Namoff, Clyde Simms, Gonzalo Martinez and Louis Crayton were left out in favor of the likes of Rod Dyachenko, Craig Thompson, Quavas Kirk, Joe Vide, Zach Wells and Greg Janicki, making his United debut alongside Marc Burch in the heart of the D.C. defense.

Eight-time Mexican champions Cruz Azul also fielded a relatively young side as Carlos Bonet and Mexican international Gerrado Torrado were left at home and Bonet's fellow Paraguayan World Cup veteran Cristian Riveros started the evening on the bench.

Less than five minutes into his first-ever senior team appearance, Janicki found himself at the end of a gilt-edged scoring chance when he roamed forward for a Jaime Moreno corner kick. The on-loan center back did well to meet the Bolivian's delivery at the near post, but thumped his header well wide with the goal gaping.

Moreno tried to cap a promising passing sequence with a chip over Cruz Azul netminder Alfonso Blanco from just outside the penalty box, but his bid floated just high, skimming into the top of the net.

To the dismay of their expatriate fans in attendance, the Mexicans started the match slowly and a few whistles floated down from the stands when defender Gabino Velasco skied his shot miles over the target after a half-cleared corner kick.

The Cementmen gradually warmed to the task and soon began to string together more possession, forcing nimble defensive interventions from Devon McTavish and Mike Zaher. But the visitors were hit by the early loss of Marcelo Carrusca, who left the field on a medical gurney with what looked like a painful shoulder injury as Paraguayan Pablos Zeballos entered in his stead.

The Mexicans were clearly aware of Moreno's menace, as the D.C. captain was routinely thronged by white jerseys whenever he dropped deep to link play. But his ability to hold the ball under pressure set up Kirk for a clear scoring chance in the 24th minute as his angled pass helped the rangy winger beat the Cruz Azul offside trap and race in on goal. But with Dyachenko waving at the far post, Kirk tried to beat Blanco to the near side and the 21-year-old 'keeper saved comfortably.

Two minutes later the crowd roared when Kirk centered for Francis Doe to flick a close-range finish past Blanco, but the Liberian has strayed offside and his effort was waved off.

As a steady rain picked up, Janicki was required to use his substantial height to head clear on several of Cruz Azul's threatening ventures into the United box in the dying moments of the first half, and Dyachenko tracked back to make a goal-saving clearance of Cesar Villaluz's teasing cross with seconds left. But the undermanned hosts were surely gratified to reach the halfway mark with matters still locked at 0-0.

Cruz Azul continued to probe the Black-and-Red back line after the break, but created little in the way of clear-cut chances -- then stumbled into a scarcely deserved lead on a supremely lucky chain of events in the 56th minute. Burch looped a clearing header out of his own box, then fell as he blocked a goalbound shot, handing Cesar Villaluz a clear look at Wells' goal from 18 yards out.

Yet Villaluz scuffed his shot badly off target, only to see it pay off as the wobbling ball deflected off his unsuspecting teammate Zeballos and bounced into the goal as a wrongfooted Wells was left helpless. The visitors looked almost embarrassed at their good fortune, but relaxed noticeably with the pressure eased off their shoulders as their supporters sang and cheered.

United's youngsters continued to fight, however. Doe was working hard to find space and keep possession up top while Moreno showing little signs of his sore knee as he continued to pace his team.

Kirk soon made way for the speedy Thabiso "Boyzzz" Khumalo as Soehn looked to up the tempo, and the South African's pace and attacking intent were welcome additions for United's front line though opportunities to truly test Blanco came few and far between, though Khumalo did see an angled drive crash off the near post on one instance.

With the hosts pressing forward, Cruz Azul came close on several more occasions in the final minutes as second-half sub Miguel Sabah snapped a clear header just wide of the near post, then Burch handed Zeballos possession inside the D.C. box only to redeem himself with a goal-line clearance.

Moreno tried to create a late, late equalizer with an in-swinging free kick delivery into the Cementeros box from the left wing and Khumalo threatened on an injury-time solo run. But the United attack remained unfulfilled until Canadian referee Paul Ward blew his final whistle and Cruz Azul escaped RFK with a pedestrian victory that nonetheless keeps them in contention for advancement from CCL Group A.

Playoff fires heating up

Three bold individual performances drove a trio of mammoth road wins as Week 27 added even more accelerant to a playoff-race fire that was already blazing.

All three of the significant road triumphs carried weight -- if perhaps for different reasons.

The Colorado Rapids launched a weekend run on improbable road success by stunning New York at Giants Stadium, where manager Juan Carlos Osorio thought he had the defense properly fortified with three key midsummer additions. (The Red Bulls actually added four players in the summer transfer window; the other was an attacking player.) Still, the Rapids scored five goals for the first time since 2002 and emerged from New Jersey with a mile-marker 5-4 win and an undeniable place as one Major League Soccer's hottest teams.

Who could have forecast that from a team that was absolutely on the skids just one month ago, having lost four of five, stuck to the bottom of the league table?

And who saw the next one coming? Real Salt Lake, having struggled mightily on the road all year, with just one triumph in their first dozen tries away from Rice-Eccles, cracked the league's formerly hottest team, San Jose.

The Earthquakes made themselves into serious playoff pursuers through Darren Huckerby's indomitable attacking and by making little Buck Shaw a fiercely difficult place for the opposition to score goals. So Saturday's 3-2 win by RSL was a stunner for all kinds of reasons.

The weekend's other major road win wasn't as significant in terms of playoff implications, perhaps, but it served as a high-decibel statement -- surely heard all around MLS.

Columbus is already in the playoffs and New England can feel pretty good about its chances, too. So the meeting at rainy Gillette Stadium was never going to say much about postseason fortunes. But the Crew's 1-0 win at New England (5-0 on "aggregate," following a recent meeting of the teams at Crew Stadium) certainly provided notice that the road to MLS Cup 2008 seems to go through Ohio.

Generally speaking, big wins away from home demand big performances from at least one individual. And all three road triumphs had just that.

At Giants Stadium, Conor Casey carried his team with the league's sixth hat trick this year. Casey has struggled to stay healthy in two seasons at Dick's Sporting Goods Park, and his production shows as much. Casey came into Saturday's match with just seven goals in 34 matches since returning stateside in the spring of 2007 following a long stint in Germany.

But against the Red Bulls' suddenly teetering defense, Casey's three strikes included a late game-winner off Mehdi Ballouchy's pinpoint service.

Casey's determined individual performance might have been among the best all year in MLS. He was heavily involved in the Rapids' first goal, as his aggressive challenge on Red Bulls goalkeeper Jon Conway cleared the way for Omar Cummings' relatively easy connection into goal.

Then, Casey's first strike was equal parts skill and will, as he doggedly bounced off Red Bulls defenders to fire past Conway. Later, he helped set up a penalty kick, which he then calmly and assertively buried. Then Casey helped give the Rapids, now undefeated in four games, all three points by getting inside of defender Jeff Parke to athletically push home the late winner. In between, Casey stayed busy as a target man, winning balls with that big bald head all night to help keep the Rapids tied for third in the West, along with Real Salt Lake.

For RSL, it was Yura Movsisyan who rewarded Jason Kreis' continued faith. Movsisyan's two goals in an epic performance helped Real atone for that loss at home last weekend, which suddenly looks a lot less crippling.

Movsisyan was a handful all night for San Jose's back line, one that looked a bit like the rest of the team, a step or two slow after last week's postponement gave the formerly in-form Earthquakes an unexpectedly long layoff. Movsisyan took full advantage, supplying goals from two terrific individual efforts, the first on the back side of a wonderful through ball by Javier Morales. Movsisyan came close on a couple of other occasions, too. That's premium production from a striker who might be in the starting 11 only due to Fabian Espindola's injury.

Plenty of teams could already have lost faith in Movsisyan, who had just eight goals and one lonely assist in 50 MLS appearances prior to Saturday's breakout. Scoring less than once every five matches is not what most managers seek in a game-changing forward. And that's not to mention the young striker's propensity to lower his head and stubbornly plow toward goal once the ball falls to his feet -- a tendency reflected in that flagging assist total.

The road ahead remains tough for RSL, but Movsisyan's big night will certainly help renew confidence. A couple of other individual performances must be mentioned here, too. Morales, fresh off signing a new four-year deal, was on his game, giving the San Jose midfield fits with tidy possession and clever passing. And what can you say about his superbly taken free kick game-winner?

Huckerby's night should be mentioned, as well. His goals were consummate Huckerby, well-taken efforts, both, stemming from those signature runs out of the midfield. His sizzling nine-game totals: six goals and four assists.

In New England, it was a defender making all the noise as U.S. center back Chad Marshall took command. His team is plowing ahead undeterred in the absence of league MVP candidate Guillermo Barros Schelotto; The Crew have collected seven of a possible nine points during Schelotto's injury absence, a period that includes two road matches. That's a job well done.

Marshall was a beast all night, helping to deal with Taylor Twellman and the rest of the Revolution attackers as Columbus blanked the Revs at Gillette, just the third time that's happened all year. Marshall struck powerfully with a 35th-minute header, the first time New England's zone marking off corner kicks has been dented this year.

Even when the Crew went down a man (following Frankie Hejduk's 65th-minute expulsion), Marshall and his gang had matters in hand. By game's end, Crew goalkeeper William Hesmer had needed just two saves to preserve his eighth shutout of the campaign.

TACTICAL CORNER

• Red Bulls manager Juan Carlos Osorio obviously wants his team comfortable playing two different formations. It's the Osorio way; he always arranges his team tactically to exploit the opposition weakness and to add extra protection for opponent strong suits.

For the last four weeks, Osorio has toggled weekly between a 3-5-2 and a 4-4-2. Against Colorado on Saturday, the team lined up with three in the back, with Gabriel Cichero stationed centrally between Diego Jimenez and Jeff Parke. A week before, the four-man back line had been (right to left) Parke, Cichero, Andrew Boyens and Kevin Goldthwaite.

A week before that, it was Parke, Cichero and Goldthwaite in a three-man setup. And so it has gone much of the year for Osorio's men.

• Teams on two coasts, fighting for their playoff lives, have been left with big holes to fill. Just when Alecko Eskandarian seemed to be gaining speed for Chivas USA, strike partner Ante Razov limped off the field with a calf injury.

On the other hand, Claudio Suarez, Alex Zotinca and Jesse Marsch have all returned lately to boost the Red-and-White, who are also working to get Maykel Galindo match-fit for the playoffs.

There's not nearly as much relief for Tom Soehn's D.C. United. With eight matches scheduled for a busy October, the men of RFK might be without their leading scorer. Luciano Emilio left Sunday's loss to Dallas with a hamstring injury. The side will definitely be without Jaime Moreno for the next MLS contest (at home vs. Chivas USA). Moreno received a red card late in Sunday's 3-0 loss to Dallas.

United are winless, with five losses and a tie, in all competitions since claiming the U.S. Open Cup at the beginning of the month. Soehn's side has allowed at least two goals in each of those subsequent contests.

United are 16-19-4 in all competitions this year, including MLS regular season play and matches in the U.S. Open Cup, CONCACAF Champions League, CONCACAF Champions Cup and SuperLiga.

Desperation powerful factor in October

It's October, and though the sun is setting on Major League Soccer's regular season, every team remains technically eligible for the playoffs. That means every match has the potential to be a bloody back alley brawl.

Even the clubs sitting at the bottom of the Eastern and Western heaps can still eat their way up the food chain to claim a place -- implausible as that scenario may be for a couple of the strugglers.

At first glance, you could make the case that Los Angeles and Real Salt Lake are the two clubs courting the most disaster this weekend. Just to look at their records and their opponents' marks, the temptation is great to say the clubs under Bruce Arena and Jason Kreis have the most to fear in Round 28. It's tempting to think, "Nobody wants to be either of those teams this weekend."

But is that really the case? Dig a little deeper into the nuance of October, and you might see that L.A. and RSL aren't exactly dead clubs walking.

Arena's Galaxy take their wounded-but-breathing playoff ambitions into Columbus, where Sigi Schmid's Crew was last seen putting a serious bruise on a good New England squad. Yes, it does look like tough sledding in Ohio for Landon Donovan and the gang. The Galaxy, after all, are a club with one lonely win in their last 14 outings.

That won't get it done, obviously.

Then we have Real Salt Lake, a team that did turn over a huge road win last weekend. Still, Kreis' club can't feel great about its chances away from Utah. The collective work over 27 previous rounds says it pretty clearly; RSL have just eight points on the road this year, which is tied for last in the league.

Weighed down by that reality, Real Salt Lake travel across the country to face New England. No opponent ever relishes a meeting on the turf at Gillette. New England might have slipped a bit at home this year, with a 6-4-3 mark in Foxborough. But the Revs are 33-12-15 at Gillette in the last four years. And that hardly stinks.

But maybe the scenario isn't as dark as all that for RSL. Nor for the Galaxy. Why? It's the way of October in MLS, where clubs with an edge in motivation can -- and often have -- trumped clubs of superior form or ability.

For instance, Columbus could find it difficult to sustain its current edge. Even the greatest motivational master among coaches simply can't manufacture hardship if it's not there. And there is nothing "hard" or "ship" about Columbus at the moment. The Crew are sitting pretty.

So it's certainly possible that desperation carries the day -- and only one team has that. Los Angeles will be absolutely laser-locked on its mission: to avoid missing the MLS Cup Playoffs for a third consecutive year. They'll probably need to win three of their last four. Lose Saturday in Crew-ville, and they face the nearly unconceivable: win out or miss out.

The Crew, meanwhile, have locked away a playoff spot. The men of yellow sit eight points clear of second-place New England. So even with regards to protecting home-field advantage through the playoffs, there's not much real reason to dirty up those all-yellows. In order to grab overtake Columbus for first place, the Revs would have to win three of their next four while banking on the Crew to practically cease operations.

Columbus, with the Supporters' Shield all but sewn up, too, does have one motivational ploy to play: if the Crew can grab up six more points, they will post the best MLS single-season point total of the last three years. That's not much -- but it's something.

Much of the same logic applies to Real Salt Lake and New England. The Revs and the Chicago Fire are quite close already to being locked into a first-round matchup. One win by each club would probably seal the deal.

Meanwhile, Real Salt Lake are pressed from all directions, smack in the middle of the seven-team West. A win (or even a tie) on the weekend before the big Rio Tinto Stadium debut might vent some pressure going into the milestone night in Utah.

We see examples of this motivational imbalance at work every year about this time. Last year, for instance, Columbus was desperate to keep its playoff hopes alive last year in an October visit to New England, which already had its postseason ticket stamped. Riding a big performance from Guillermo Barros Schelotto -- a tip to things to come in 2008, perhaps -- the Crew defeated the Revs that night in Foxborough, 3-2.

A week later, Kansas City climbed aboard the Playoff Express with a slightly improbable final-weekend victory at FC Dallas; the Hoops had their playoff berth safely in pocket. The Wizards had won just three of 14 on the road, but needed a win in order to get back past the playoff velvet rope. Curt Onalfo's team did just that, claiming all three of the telling points.

Two years ago, it was more of the same near the campaign's end. D.C. United had secured their spot early and were coasting into the postseason. New England came to RFK in early October still looking to firm up its positioning. Goals by Taylor Twellman and Clint Dempsey helped the Revs rally from an early deficit in the 2-1 road win.

A week later, Colorado captured the last available spot in the West by going down to Houston to steal a point from the Dynamo, which was snugly fit into its playoff spot, unable to move up or down regardless of the result. So the Rapids, just 2-10-3 on the road to that point, and facing the team that would eventually win the MLS Cup, was able to heroically stitch together a 3-3 tie and sneak into the postseason by the slimmest of margins.

And so it goes. It's just the way of October in MLS -- and it makes the last few weeks a more interesting place.

It might not seem like happy times for Los Angeles and Real Salt Lake this weekend. But things could be worse.

PLAYOFF RESET

If the playoffs were today:

East
No. 1 Columbus vs. No. 4 New York
No. 2 New England vs. No. 3 Chicago

West
No. 1 Houston vs. No. 4 Real Salt Lake
No. 2 Chivas USA vs. No. 3 Colorado

Who has games in hand: Every team has played 26, except Houston and San Jose, with 25 each in the books.

Most significant game of the week: It's tough, because all seven matches in Round 28 will have something important to say in the playoff jockeying. But Chivas USA at D.C. United might speak the loudest. Chivas currently sits in second, but by a threadbare margin, with three Western pursuers within three points. Theoretically, Preki's men could fall from second to fifth by late Saturday night.

For United, well, it's just about time to step up or step aside. Lying ahead are potentially difficult dates at Columbus and Houston, along with a home match against New England. Getting points off Chivas USA, now reinforced by the injury-mended Jesse Marsch and Alex Zotinca and by Sasha Victorine's recent acquisition, is anything but a cinch. But Saturday's contest at RFK appears to represent the best chance for forward movement from Tom Soehn's team.

Men of the moment: No team needs a big performance any more that the Red Bulls need one from Juan Pablo Angel. New York was in good shape heading into September. But a troubling month ended with a 1-3 record, and Juan Carlos Osorio's team is suddenly perched on less steady ground. With second leading scorer Dave van den Bergh still sidelined by injury, a goal or two from Angel might be enough to get his side past Toronto at Giants Stadium.

For Los Angeles, David Beckham just hasn't recaptured that wonderful early season form, when he was hooking up regularly with Edson Buddle and Landon Donovan.

Beckham has no goals and just two assists since July 10. The former England captain has played in just six of L.A.'s 10 matches since then, as international absences stripped away a few opportunities. Still, with the Galaxy playoff hopes seriously on the skids, a little more production from Los Angeles' prize attacker would go far in keeping Bruce Arena's team in the hunt.

In Colorado, the Rapids have a chance to wrestle at least a point, if not more, from the Houston Dynamo. Dominic Kinnear's league champions are playing well, having just finished that wild 4-4 Champions League shootout in Mexico City with Pumas UNAM. But Houston will be finishing a passport-testing 12-day odyssey, one that took the travelers to four countries. The two-time defending champs could be vulnerable.

Cory Gibbs had been a big part of Colorado's recent turnabout, but the rangy U.S. center back wasn't at his best last week against New York. The Rapids offense helped atone with five goals on the road. Now back at Dick's Sporting Goods Park for the weekend's encounter with Houston, a renewed performance from Gibbs could see the Rapids significantly strengthen their playoff positioning.

Sikora to return in time for playoff push

FRISCO, Texas -- When FC Dallas midfielder Victor Sikora went down with a knee injury on Aug. 23 at Kansas City, many Hoops faithful wondered how catastrophic the impact of the Dutch newcomer's absence would be. FCD head coach Schellas Hyndman had signed Sikora to roam the left flank, which before his arrival, had been a source of great uncertainty for the Hoops.

Sikora made his MLS debut the week before at Columbus and performed well. He also got another start the following week at the Wizards, but just after the halftime break injured his knee and had to leave the field. Unfortunately, the prognosis wasn't good. Sikora had a torn right lateral meniscus. Doctors cut out the damaged part of his meniscus, which meant he could return in 4-6 weeks.

Currently, Sikora has missed five games but could return to the bench in time for Thursday's big MLS Primetime Thursday match with San Jose. He is now ready to get back into the swing of things with FCD's first team just in time for a final push to the playoffs.

"My knee is better and I feel stronger," Sikora said last Friday. "It's been a quick recovery. I think I'm at about 80 percent. Maybe I can get back on the field this week. I plan on working all this week and maybe getting back in for the next game."

Count Hyndman among those a bit surprised at how quickly Sikora has recovered from the injury.

"I think we're all surprised," he said. "I think a lot of that comes from his mentality. He didn't come over here for the sunshine and the vacation. He came to make a name for himself and to improve his opportunities to play for the future. I think he's a competitor and I think he's one of those guys that I thought would be a really positive influence for the younger players. I think he has but has been limited since he hasn't been out here."

The Dutch international himself wasn't surprised a single bit.

"No (I wasn't surprised at my quick recovery), I've been there before," Sikora said. "The last one was fixed up and it took me three months. My recovery has taken three weeks and I'm ready to go on the field again. I'm resting up and have been working hard with (FCD head trainer) Josh (Watts) inside and out here. He did a good job."

With Sikora out, Hyndman has employed a number of options at left midfield but with mixed results. Dax McCarty started there for two games and has since returned to the bench. Second-year player Anthony Wallace got one start and looked somewhat lost. Marcelo Saragosa, normally a holding midfielder, has started there in each of FCD's last two games and assisted on a goal by Jeff Cunningham in a 3-0 win against D.C. United on Sunday.

But Hyndman always knew that playing those players at what he honestly considers Sikora's spot was never anything more than a stopgap measure.

And now that FCD is fighting for their playoff lives, Sikora is itching to get back and help them reach the postseason for a fourth consecutive year.

"I just want to help them get into the playoffs and maybe go further," he said. "They're doing a good job now. Well, we're fighting for a prize and when you're doing that, you have to give 110 percent always. I will give everything I have to help FC Dallas. I hope to stay here for three more years. That is my goal."

He admits that throughout his career abroad, the games at the end of the year have always carried a bit more meaning for him because of the incredibly huge stakes.

"Yes, we're on pace to get into the playoffs and everyone knows that," Sikora said. "We can do it."

Revs search for continuity as season closes

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Chances are there weren't many kind words exchanged in the New England Revolution locker room at halftime of Saturday's 2-2 draw with Real Salt Lake.

Javier Morales' 13th-minute goal staked RSL to a 1-0 lead at the break. RSL came in and dictated the pace of the game as the Revs couldn't get started and couldn't start their passing game.

"They outworked us in the first half," Revs head coach Steve Nicol said. "They put a lot into us. They defended well and got people back in numbers. They tried to get long balls and get it in behind us."

The situation improved after halftime. But it took longer than the Revs might have hoped.

After a couple of early second-half chances from Chris Albright and Kheli Dube went awry, RSL scored through a Morales-led counterattack. Andy Williams hit a thunderous volley. The visitors looked well on their way their first two-game winning streak of the season.

Inside of four minutes, the Revolution flipped the game around. Goals from Steve Ralston and Taylor Twellman took the Revs from down two goals to pressing for a late winner. If Nat Borchers hadn't cleared off a Twellman chance off the line in stoppage time, they might just have found it.

Nicol didn't think his team deserved a win, but lauded his team's character after the late charge.

"It's another reminder to our players as a group that we need to show that we're never done and that we can never be counted out," Nicol said.

The overall performance worried those in the Revolution locker room as the team tries to hold off Chicago for home-field advantage in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

The Revolution's short-passing game has been difficult to find in recent weeks. Once noted for fluid movement from side to side, the passing game has lacked fluidity in recent weeks.

"There's no continuity," Twellman said. "We have to play two-touch and move the ball. Otherwise you start losing your spots. It becomes methodical."

Sporadic possession and unforced turnovers make things difficult on both sides of the ball. Without possession, pressure builds on the defense. And when the Revs finally do get it back, the wide play hasn't created enough chances or funneled enough service into Ralston and Twellman in the middle of the field.

Twellman and Ralston were non-factors until the goal and the Revs didn't create many, if any chances, as the game progressed.

Even though the team has struggled to keep teams out in recent weeks, Twellman thinks the team needs to share in the blame.

"It's not just our defense," Twellman said. "It's collectively as a whole. We're not playing great defense and we're not doing anything offensively. Ralston scored a great goal, but it was off a clearance. So was mine."

With the season rapidly winding to a close, there isn't much time to right things. Revs midfielder Khano Smith knows things must improve.

"We have to sort it out before the playoffs," Smith said. "We have three games. Hopefully the next game gets better."

Revolution in playoff mode for Crew

FOXBOROUGH, Mass -- The schedule says the playoffs start after the final five games of the regular season.

One look at the Eastern Conference standings indicates that Saturday night's match between the New England Revolution and Columbus Crew might just start the postseason festivities a few weeks early.

Five points separate the first-place Crew from the second-place Revolution. New England likely needs a victory to keep its hopes alive for an Eastern Conference title.

"It's like a playoff game," Revolution midfielder Jeff Larentowicz said. "It's a big swing for us in terms of going towards the Supporters' Shield and closing out the season. They've had our number this season and they've made a lot of improvements. We know we need to be that much better."

The Crew's 4-0 victory against the Revs on Sept. 6 might have inspired the Revs to improve themselves. Better results -- a 4-0 win against Chivas USA and a 1-1 draw in Colorado -- followed that game as the team finally wound down from the hectic summer months.

Despite the heavy reverse three weekends ago, Nicol said his team isn't focused on extracting revenge.

"We're not interested in that," Nicol said. "We're interested in winning the game [Saturday]. We always want to go into the playoffs doing well and being on a good run. We spoke about starting about that at home to Chivas USA. We got a good point in Colorado last weekend. We want to keep up that good run heading into the playoffs. That's our main objective."

That run of form has coincided with a nine-day layoff between games and the return to health of strikers Kenny Mansally and Kheli Dube.

"It's good to have everyone back competing and getting their strength back coming into the fun part of the season," Revs striker Taylor Twellman said.

Not everyone is ready to factor against the Crew. Doug Warren is out for at least the next two to three weeks with an elbow injury. Khano Smith will also miss out after picking up a hamstring injury. Mauricio Castro will take his spot on the left side of Nicol's anticipated 4-4-2 formation.

"He obviously felt it last week," Nicol said of his lanky left winger. "He hasn't pulled it or anything like that, but a hamstring isn't something you can take a chance with. In these conditions and this time of year, you're done for the rest of the year. It'd be silly to take a chance on him."

Nicol did catch a break with news that Crew midfielder Guillermo Barros Schelotto did not travel with the team. Barros Schelotto has missed the last two games with a left hamstring injury, but the Crew -- 5-0-1 in its past six games -- haven't skipped a beat with Pat Noonan pulling the strings.

Larentowicz said Barros Schelotto's absence will force the Revs to adapt.

"Barros Schelotto is more of a wild card," Larentowicz said. "Not to take anything away from Pat because Pat's a tricky player, but it's just different. Barros Schelotto can end up anywhere. He can go to sleep for five minutes and then he pops up and creates a goal or scores a goal. Pat's a tricky player, but sometimes, you have a better idea where he is going to be."

The heavy rain anticipated in the Boston area on Saturday might have made both managers more reluctant to risk their hamstrung midfielders. Nicol said his team will have to proceed cautiously on the slippery surface if the conditions turn foul.

"You can't afford to gamble on things," Nicol said. "We'll have to be neat and tidy. We'll have to keep things within a certain distance or else we'll be losing the ball. If we keep the ball well, it'll be difficult for them. The conditions will be difficult for them. When it's wet, it means you can move the ball quickly. If we're on our game, we can use that to our advantage."